annette's notes

I'm moving, virtually that is ...

2010-12-30T22:26:00.000-09:00

Find me now at: Chic907.blogspot.com

A lot has changed since I established anaenae.blogspot.com almost three years ago. My zip code, my e-mail, even my last name. I decided I needed an easier to explain URL, and one that matches my new blog title.

Here's where the new name came from: Chic as in fashionable, smart, not the crass way to say lady. 907 as in the area code of all of Alaska, a place that defines many of my adventures and musings.

I have imported the content from this blog, so everything is now there and new posts not seen here. Please bookmark it and leave me a comment soon. Let me know you've updated or added my new link and I'll add you to my blogroll there!

How to make a Barbie dream house

2010-12-27T22:43:00.001-09:00

I've been bursting to show off some of my DIY Christmas gifts, but had to wait until after the big day so I wouldn't spoil any surprises. I did quite a few homemade, or custom created gifts this year. This one is a collaboration with my friend, Kim.

She wanted to give her 5-year-old twins a Barbie dream-house for Christmas, but didn't want to break the bank on something that might break easily. With four kids, she knows delicate a plastic dollhouse wouldn't last long. So we embarked on a shopping adventure to find the right tools to build our own, sturdier version.

Originally, I was thinking we would make over a bookshelf, but then we found this storage cube shelf and it was already pink! Normally, $50-$60 for one of these bad boys, we walked on a $20 sale at Fred Meyer. Plus we had an extra 15 percent off coupon for housewares. [They had blue too, and I'm still kicking myself for not buying a couple when they were so cheap.]

The whole thing was pink, so we lined the shelves with wood-grain contact paper to give the house wood floors before assembling the shelf.

We bought a variety pack of scrapbook paper at the craft store and covered the back panels with the "wall paper" using clear contact paper to adhere it and give them a protective coating.

I found a few unfinished wood jewelry/notions boxes at JoAnn's fabrics that made excellent furniture with a little acrylic paint.

For area rugs we cut circles and rectangles out of a bathroom rug from the Fred Meyer home section.

We painted balsa wood strips mint green and glued them to the corners to create molding to give the rooms a finished look.

Santa somehow knew the girls were getting a Barbie dream house and brought the girls furniture sets like this bathroom set complete with a flat-screen TV mounted to the towel rack. Barbie is apparently one classy gal.

For a roof, we used a flag case from Michael's craft store.

They seemed to like it.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T10:02:00.001-09:00

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope your holidays are beautiful however you celebrate. We opened presents a day early to make the most of our time together. We felt very fortunate as we drove to a friend's house for dinner last night and saw a man who looked like anyone you might know standing with a sign "Need Work" and a phone number printed on it. He was visibly not your average corner sign-holder in Anchorage. My husband looked at me and said, "Kind of makes any of our problems seem smaller, huh?"

Santa was very good to us this year and I feel blessed to be spending my third holiday season with my little family. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

"Can I please open this now?"

Gaining daylight

2010-12-21T17:15:00.001-09:00

I snapped this photo from my balcony as the twilight set in this afternoon. Today is the shortest day of the year, with just 5 hours, 26 minutes and 58 seconds of daylight in Anchorage. Tomorrow we gain 6 seconds of daylight, which may seem small, but it means a lot as cold winter days become brighter and lighter. Cheers and happy winter solstice!

Davin's Christmas progam

2010-12-20T18:00:00.002-09:00

Davin's school performed an original play written by his teacher for the holidays. He played an 8-year-old boy (what a stretch...) in a play about a family who gave up their personal celebration to help make the holidays better for active duty military in their community. Scenes were punctuated by caroling sung by the smaller kids. To kick of the event we had music from the guitar students and a lone xylophonist.

1. The entire cast sings a final number. 2. Joshua sets up the video camera, preshow. 3. Davin takes his place for the first scene.

4. Playing Jingle Bells and I think of Schroeder. 5. Sheet music sits ready for the show. 6. Davin's guitar group does a last-minute rehearsal of their most difficult piece.

7. The Christmas programs. 8. The guitar sequence. 9. Students playing members of the military perform a patriotic song and dance.

A DIY Christmas

2010-12-19T18:19:00.001-09:00

I don't know if it's the holidays or the 18 hours of darkness a day and single-digit temps, but I get the crafty bug this time of year. My Christmas decorating started on Thanksgiving Day when I hit a 5-9 p.m. sale with a couple friends and picked up this red and gold potpourri for my interchangeable centerpiece

1. With the leftover potpourri, I filled these martini glasses on my wine rack. It was the only other place I could think of displaying the stuff where my kitties wouldn't get into it ... which could be very bad for them. I also really wanted a poinsettia this year, but skipped it for the same reason.

2. I love this centerpiece because I can change it's look every season. This year, the potpourri with the gold candle to top it off.
This year I did a couple simple sewing projects.

3. New Christmas stockings for the boys so we would have a suedo-matching set. My mom made mine (center) and has lasted the years. I used red felt, green fleece and the silly reindeer trim for Joshua and Davin's stockings. I should have known that fleece is impossible to embroider names on, but wasn't thinking about that when I purchased it. Still searching for a way to add names.

4. A new Christmas tree skirt. I've never had one and have always improvised with a holiday tablecloth. This year I bought two yards of red felt and the snowball trim to finish the zig-zag edge. It cost less than $20 and was finished in one evening.

5. This is not my project, but one of Davin's classmates made him this tabletop tree and glued candy and fruit-rollups to it. Very creative and generous.

6. One of my favorite ornaments made by my mother has gotten several compliments from visitors this year. I was so inspired by the beaded ornaments that I was thrilled to find a beaded wreath kit at the craft store this year.

7. I knocked out about 12 of these beaded wreath ornaments with my feet kicked up watching Dexter one evening. They are shockingly similar to the ones my mom made for our tree when I was too young to remember.

I hope you're having a fun and creative holiday season regardless of how you decorate and celebrate.

My website

2010-12-19T01:55:00.000-09:00

I recently purchased a URL to host my professional portfolio.

KernThisStudio.com

It's very simple at the moment, but a start for displaying my design work and portrait photography and hopefully drum up some additional freelance work. I did a couple family photo shoots this month and a newborn photo session. Also, I designed Christmas cards for the families, save the dates for engaged friends and have two more photo shoots in the coming weeks. This new project has been a whirlwind of fun and I'm excited to see where it goes.

I will still be blogging here about my Alaskan adventures, family fun and personal projects.As Kern This has been my blog, twitter name and phrase for many creative things over the years, it seemed like the natural choice for my portfolio and brand. To avoid confusion I'm going to need a new name for my personal blog.

For the non-design geeks out there. Kern This is a play on words involving design. To kern is to adjust the space between letters in typography.

Thanks for reading and please take a moment to stop by my portfolio when you have a moment. I'll be updating frequently. But don't stop checking in here. Thanks to my friends and family for all the support.

Looking a lot like Christmas

2010-12-13T22:29:00.003-09:00

We decorated our tree Sunday. We chose a Grand Fir this year and the needles are not kind to my carpet, but the general effect is nice. I also made a new tree skirt this year, but more on that in another post. I'll write late about all my DIY holiday projects.

It's my third Christmas with my little family and our traditions are starting to form. Davin and I talked a lot about our ornaments as we decorated.

First big photo shoot

2010-12-05T23:17:00.001-09:00

Saturday I took pictures of the very beautiful Zepeda family on Chester Creek Trail. They were so much fun. With a 7-year-old, 5-year-old twins and the youngest is weeks from her third birthday, things are never dull. Like me, their families live far from Alaska, so they wanted to capture a little of their surroundings in the shoot. This is my first big shoot, so any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

Beyond the Road Calendar

2010-12-02T09:36:00.001-09:00

MY LATEST PROJECT: With the help of Alaska Newspapers' amazing photo editor I designed this 2011 calendar at work this fall. It features images from across Alaska inspired by the Beyond the Road photo feature from First Alaskans magazine. Above is the cover and below is the back with thumbnails of the spreads. It's my first calendar and I'm extremely happy with how it turned out. However, it's easy to design with such amazing photos.

Our web editor is working on getting online purchasing information up. I'll update with post with a link when it's ready.

I am thankful

2010-11-25T09:16:00.000-09:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I thought I would celebrate this year with a pictography of people places and things that make me thankful today. This is just a sample, because if I were all-inclusive, I'd be here until next year!

First and foremost, this guy, who not only gave the greatest compliment in life by marrying me this summer, but is an amazing cook, walk partner and friend. I'm also so very proud of him, because he's embarked on a new career this month in advertising sales for the Anchorage Daily News. Always up for a new challenge and thinking of ways to improve the lives of his family, he amazes me every day.

This beautiful and harsh place I live. I love/hate it's weather, daylight swings and distance from the Lower 48. It's been my most faithful subject in my study of amateur photography.

My parents, who have loved, supported and inspired me through everything. Especially my mom who taught me to follow my dreams, where ever they lie, and can take her own advice. She too, is embarking on a new adventure this year at the Seattle Red Cross. This lady is my role model. My dad for encouraging all of us, his patience and stories.

My boy, who brings love and laughter to our home everyday. Aspiring guitarist and comedian, this guy probably teaches me more about family and what's truly important in life than anyone.

Sister and Boy Kitty, because everyone needs a little unconditional love. And these guys have lots of it. Especially at 4:30 a.m. when I'm trying to sleep.

My big brother and his lady. He just got promoted to to head bigshot at his engineering firm, but none of us are surprised.

My girlfriends for being the amazing, beautiful people they are. And for all the big and little woes and joys we share.

My new friend Kim and her beautiful little family who have made Alaska feel so much more like home in the last few months.

My sweet in-laws who have welcomed me into their family as one of their own.

No baseball today

2010-11-24T16:38:00.001-09:00

While I hear Washington feels a bit like Alaska this week, I think we've gotten a dose of Seattle's typical weather. It's rained on top of our snow for three consecutive days turning our winter wonderland into patches of ice, slush and mud. While school has been called off in Seattle for too much snow, we had the first "snow" days here in my two years here, for a lack thereof. The rain on top of snow made roads so slick that police responded to 89 vehicle incidents on Monday. I got off work a little early at the start of my four-day weekend and decided to walk through the baseball fields across the street to capture a little of the drizzly mess and play with my new camera.

Hello SLR, it's about time we become friends

2010-11-22T23:25:00.000-09:00

A few days early, we found my birthday gift on Craislist today. A 2006 Nikon D50, barely used. The guy I purchased it from said he bought it on impulse and hardly used it. I've been wanting an SLR for quite some time, but couldn't bring myself to drop the cash on a brand new one until I know my way around the SLR world a little better. We got an amazing deal on it. I made my cats model for my first click around the house with my new toy. I have a rudimentary knowledge of how to work this thing, but really have a lot to learn. Can't wait.

Expect more frequent blogging, my friends.

Also, with the major ice storm in Alaska and all the snow in the Northwest, drive safe out there.

Halloween ... a belated post

2010-11-17T18:04:00.000-09:00

Davin dressed up as a gangster for Halloween and we did both Trick or Treat Street in downtown and Trunk or Treat at a friend's church with my parents while they were in town. Strangely, I never chased them with the camera while they were here like I usually do and am dismayed to not find any pictures of them to add to this post. We had a wonderful time cooking, visiting and relaxing with them.

Trick or Treat Street was a cool idea but I wouldn't recommend it to parents. It was a lot of long, cold lines at downtown stores for not a lot of childhood sweet rewards. But Trunk or Treat was a ton of fun and will be in our future Halloween plans.

Snapshots of fall flavors

2010-11-17T17:50:00.000-09:00

Sister cat wants to help chop carrots before a poker night at the Zepeda household. We always take snacks to share.

We've been doing a lot of roasting and crockery cooking in the past couple weeks. I've become a near expert at vegetarian roast.

Halloween cookies. We tested out get food coloring for the frosting and it's awesome. Way less messy than the old liquid stuff.

The start of butternut squash soup.

A funny thing actually happened on the way to the opera

2010-10-19T22:00:00.001-08:00

Joshua and I got a great deal on Opera tickets and invitations to the Anchorage Opera's season opener after party, so we got dressed up and went. Walking to the restaurant downtown for dinner before the show a yellow car honked at us while we were in the crosswalk. I jumped and glared at the driver, before realizing they weren't being rude but trying to get my attention. It was my coworker Nadya with her friend at the wheel, also on their way to dinner before heading to the show. So we decided to join forces and share wine and laughs at Ginger. She was even kind enough to share her pictures from the evening with us since my camera would not fit in my tiny dress-up purse. Can you spot us in the atrium of the opera house above?

Photos courtesy of Nadya Gilmore.

Fun new heights

2010-10-10T19:22:00.001-08:00

Davin and I discovered a new piece of playground equipment had been installed at our favorite playground on a recent bike ride. It's a giant jungle gym made of steel and rope. I climbed to the top with another mom on the playground at the cajoling of our kids. It wasn't so bad.

This isn't redundant ...

2010-09-30T22:41:00.000-08:00

This sign hangs over the soup aisle at my friendly neighborhood Carr's store (Alaska's Safeway). I guess they just wanted to be thorough.

Open eyes

2010-09-30T22:34:00.000-08:00

It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget how geographically amazing, beautiful and strange this place I live is. But over the last two weeks, I've had several reminders that I'm in Alaska:

1. EARTHQUAKES: Last week we were rattled with two earthquakes. First was a 4.9 magnitude on Tuesday just 15 miles from Anchorage. Everyone at work jumped as the sound of a semi-truck slammed into the side of our building, but really it was the sound of the earth moving. It shook for several seconds, but no damage was reported anywhere. The second was a 5.4 about a 3-hour-drive north. It woke us up Saturday morning at 4 a.m. I had to get up and to see how fast the local news reported it online.

2. WIND: We had a windstorm Friday with gusts up to 70 mph in places that knocked down trees and knocked out power through much of Southcentral Alaska. Some more remote locations had no power for days after the storm. We actually rarely have much wind at all here, but it contributed to a strange week.

3. SNOW: Termination dust capped the mountains Sunday. The official sign that summer is over. The sight makes skiers cheer and lovers-of-summer like myself pout. We also had flurries in Anchorage Sunday. Nothing stuck, but it reminded us that it will soon. The photo above was taken Sunday traveling south on the Glenn Highway. (Note to my mother: Don't worry, I was in the passenger seat.)

4. FOG: I'm kicking myself for not photographing the eerie for that shrouded the 3 feet over the baseball fields the other day. It looked like the opening scene of a scary movie.

5. DARKNESS: The Fall Equinox passed the other day, and with it, my ability to drive to work without headlights.

Hopefully I won't wait for the next round of earthquakes to open my eyes and remember the beauty and wonder of my surroundings.

Home on the Range

2010-09-30T22:04:00.000-08:00

Davin gets two hours of guitar each week at school. Last weekend he got to check out a school guitar for the weekend to practice and show us what he's learned. His teacher is raving to other teachers and parents about how quickly he's picking it up. He even gave me a refresher course on chords.

Cotton candy, giant cabbage and the gravitron

2010-09-03T22:26:00.000-08:00

The Alaska State Fair is know for it's giant cabbage competition with a record of 127 from our intense growing season. But Thursday night, we went to the event in Palmer for the rides and the food. Above is a view of the grounds from the Ferris wheel. We ran into Davin's friend from school and her dad and hung out with them at the rides.

Here, missy got told she was just barely too short to make the cut for the Apollo, a ride none of us adults were brave enough to try.

So instead I braved the Gravitron with the kids and my stomach -- and equilibruim -- was angry with that decision. So was Davin's. But his friend was so non-phased she was riding upside down.

However, it was nothing a little over-price cotton candy couldn't cure.

Planes, trains and ... bicycles?

2010-08-02T22:18:00.000-08:00

We hit the bike lane and didn't start up either car for most of the weekend. Saturday we cruised downtown to the Fourth Avenue Marketplace for a late afternoon lunch of festival food. Sunday we braved the hills to midtown for lunch at our favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican place, Burrito King, and a matinee of "Dinner for Schmucks." Afterward, we passed the apartment and decided to keep riding for some time. Downtown we watched the airshow pass overhead. We continued through the Alaska Railroad Depot to Ship Creek.

Ship Creek as seen from the deck of The Bridge restaurant ...closed until further notice.

The old fish processing plant looked like it had seen better days.

Introducing the newest project: A food and wine blog

2010-07-20T18:54:00.001-08:00

Joshua and I are co-authoring a blog called New Castle of the Pope -- the English translation for Châteauneuf-du-Pape, one of Joshua's favorite wines. He is a certified wine sommelier from his restaurateur-ing days. Every time we're out at a wine bar, wine store or fine restaurant the conversation turns to the history of this wine or the special way the grapes are fermented in that one.

He ends of giving servers history lessons that help them sell and people at neighboring tables help deciphering the wine list.

Joshua seems to have journalistic-like instincts for taking a subject that is often overcomplicated and elitist, and making it simple, digestible. With his breakdowns, I, the girl who used to answer what kind of wine I liked with "mostly whites," feel I can hold my own on the topic.

So the idea is kind of "Wines 101." A primer for those who want to enjoy wine and feel like they know what they're ordering -- and a fun read for those already will versed on the subject.

We're also going to write occasionally about food, because the two are really inseparable. Look for a wine of the week, wine terms, restaurant reviews, pairing ideas, and more. Please check it out and let us know what you think.

Find it here: http://newcastleofthepope.blogspot.com/

Thanks!

Oh, and don't worry. This blog won't change -- I'll still be writing about my Alaska adventures here.

Camping on the Kenai

2010-07-19T18:59:00.001-08:00

Thanks to all the of the thoughtful people who gave us Target gift cards for our wedding, most of them went to camping equipment. Joshua and I packed up the Subaru for an adventure Friday night. We had no idea what we were getting into.

We drove just past Cooper Landing and bought a regional map marking area campsites. First we checked Russian River Campground: 44 sites. All full. So was the next stop. And the next. All the campgrounds for the next hour and back. We know, because we checked.

So we drove back to Cooper Landing crossing our fingers for good luck at the Quartz Creek Campground just before Cooper, that we blew past two hours earlier thinking, oh, let's go further to somewhere we've never been. Now we were humbled. We would be happy for any campsite at all.

They were full. We stopped and asked locals locals where to camp. They suggested all the places we had already checked. At past 11 p.m. we were losing hope and trying to think of any way not to drive home.

Josh kept driving down the road off Quartz Creek near beautiful Kenai Lake and randomly turned down a bumpy deserted powerline road.

There, in the middle of nowhere, were two vacant campsites with firepits. No amenities, but at nearly midnight and losing daylight, it was perfection. And it was. Soon our brand new tent was up without too much trouble for the first time set-up and the fire was blazing.

The rest of the weekend was smooth sailing with bike rides, walks, tending to the fire and lots of mosquito swatting. It was refreshing to get out of the city and iPhone range for a couple days.

The Kenai River looks bright turquoise from glacial melt.

Alaska's fireweed was in bloom everywhere.

Another two-wheeled adventure

2010-07-19T18:34:00.001-08:00

We took another long bike trip last Monday. This time we took Chester Creek Trail the opposite direction. I've seen this creek before, but the greenbelt leads all the way to a community pool and a Chinese restaurant we like, so we are scheming future weeknight rides here.

New bikes!

2010-07-19T18:28:00.000-08:00

My wonderful husband treated himself and I to new bikes recently. The day we bought them we rode several miles from our apartment, to Westchester Lagoon, along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, to downtown Anchorage. We stopped for lunch at a park and later in downtown to browse the Saturday Market. Then we looped back home up Cordova. Davin was a trooper, his first real long bike ride since he's previously had to stick to our neighborhood.

Fireworks, food and friends

2010-07-05T11:57:00.001-08:00

Happy Fourth of July! We celebrated with barbecue chicken (well, a portobello for me), lots of homemade salads including my first mayo-free potato salad (it was delicious), sweets and our friends Tony and Alisa. We watched a movie and played Apples to Apples while waiting for the fireworks at midnight -- which lucky for us, happen to be set off from the ball fields across the street. We get to sit on the balcony and snicker at the hundreds trying to park and camp out on blankets to watch the show. Just don't plan on running out for anything when the America's birthday party is happening across street.

The Fourth is also a special day for Joshua and I because it marks the day we met. I can't believe how the years have flown by, but I also can't image life without my boys. It's also apropos we celebrate with Tony and Alisa since they are to blame for our meeting that Fourth of July in Boise.

Miss Rowe's wedding

2010-07-05T11:39:00.001-08:00

Davin's teacher, Miss Rowe got married this summer, and our family was one of a handful from her class honored with an invitation. She moved to Alaska from California to teach at the beginning of the past school year and she's moving from fourth to fifth grade with her class in the fall. She met her husband at a speed dating event last fall, after nearly chickening out to go shopping at the last minute. She's glad she decided to go, because they've spent nearly every day together since. He's an engineer and she has her masters in teaching. They are a sweet couple and had a lovely event.

They had an anniversary dance there they got all the married couples on the dance floor. Then the deejay said, "If you've been married (X amount of time), please leave the dance floor." It's usually done in increments of years. Instead he announced "less than three and a half hours" for the couple and next up "35 days." Someone must have done the math to send us off with a laugh.

Oreo milkshakes and warm summer nights

2010-07-05T11:25:00.000-08:00

Davin and his neighbor friends, brothers Richard and Philip, take a break from bikes and squirt guns for a homemade treat Friday night.

Kenai Fjords Tour

2010-06-30T20:52:00.001-08:00

It's said that the Kenai Fjords Tour is one of the essential Alaskan tourist experiences. It's an all-day cruise from Seward into the depths of Kenai Fjords National Park. Two days after our wedding, we boarded a boat with my new in-laws and Davin. We saw orcas, seals, sea lions, puffins, a bald eagle and many more. We travels into one of the fjords and saw Aialak Glacier off the Harding Ice Field, which spans more than 300 miles, spawns 40 glaciers and is one of four remaining ice fields in the United States. We finished the amazing day with a salmon and king crab dinner on Fox Island where Davin became a certified junior ranger.

The only bad thing, was I was as tired as I have ever been in my entire life after a week of wedding madness. There was much napping between the pictures.

Our family friends and wedding guests, Dan and Jane Henderson, happened to be on the same cruise as us! One of them snapped the picture below.

Russian River Falls

2010-06-30T20:21:00.000-08:00

The day after our wedding we took a walk to Russian River Falls near Cooper Landing. It was lovely!

Summer evenings in Anchorage

2010-06-22T21:34:00.000-08:00

We took a walk on Chester Creek trail to the bookstore Monday night and it was lush and green. We could smell the campfire smoke from the homeless camps hidden behind the trees by those live in the woods in tents during the summer. Despite the fact, it was a really nice evening for a walk.

This funny grass makes the woods look all floaty and fairy-like. Something you might see in a movie.

Joshua snagged some sweet-smelling lilacs for me. I made a bouquet with these and leftover greens from the wedding when we arrived home.

These baseball fields narrate the soundtrack to my summer. Announcers, cheering fans, music, and the occasional plink of a bat hitting a ball, waft across the street, into the open windows of my apartment each evening. This is just a small game, but the big league field and stands are in the background where the big speakers amplify everything.

Father's Day and middle 70s

2010-06-22T21:13:00.001-08:00

Joshua and I took a hike on Blueberry Hill up at Flattop trail head on Sunday, Father's day, afternoon. Clouds lurked ominously in the distance, but never were overhead. I'm excited for blueberry picking in August, as you might remember from a post here last year.

A little late-June snow hangover.

I love these crooked-growing trees.

On the home stretch.

Bumblebees and buttercups.

Wedding photos!

2010-06-18T09:28:00.013-08:00

Here is a link to our professional wedding images on Photobucket.

Oh great

2010-06-14T15:59:00.000-08:00

Looks like the WSJ thought it would be cute to use Comic Sans to headline an article about the Dilbert artist. I'm joining the league of blogging, font nerds in a giant roll of the eyes.

Thanks to Charles Apple, where I found this.

More judgmental font geek talk on Typophile.

Wedding photos are in!

2010-06-10T21:33:00.000-08:00

I picked up my wedding photos from the photographer today! There are more than 900. That's what he pared down from the 12 gigs he took that day. Here's a sneak peak while I edit them down to something reasonable and decide how to post them. Probably won't try to house them all on the blog. But I will tell you I am delighted with Michael Conti's work.

At the salon

2010-06-09T23:41:00.000-08:00

This was Monday before the wedding.

Faces at the rehearsal dinner

2010-06-09T23:32:00.000-08:00

We had a really casual rehearsal dinner and it was wonderful. Campfire, chicken dinner, guitar strums and meeting and greeting. Above, Dan Henderson.

Jane Henderson last wore this lovely outfit at a wedding in India.

My Aunt Carol, Aunt Cecily, Uncle Dave and cousin Jessica.

Joshua's dad, Kevin and family friend Chuck.

Davin winces from campfire smoke. We told him smoke follows beauty.

My sweet new mother-in-law, Sherrie at the campfire.

Tai, friend, wedding officiant and extraordinary person.

Ceremony rehearsal

2010-06-09T23:18:00.001-08:00

Our ceremony rehearsal was a little chaotic and for some reason really funny. It kind of felt like tech rehearsal from my theater days. Skipping all the lines and just running cues. Despite the silliness, I think opening night went quite well.

Katie rigged up the beautiful tissue paper and ribbon bouquet for me.

Dinner party at the Hamiltons

2010-06-09T19:52:00.001-08:00

Thursday before the wedding, the night before heading to the lodge for the weekend, my dad's friend from childhood in Alaska and his lovely wife threw us a party at their home. Brian and Benita are musicians, and fabulous hosts. We all had a wonderful time despite the mosquitoes going crazy. It was a great greeting spot for my aunts, uncles and grandma Ticknor as the arrived in town.

This is my fabulous grandma telling stories over strawberry shortcake.

Girls' night out

2010-06-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

We gathered at my apartment Wednesday night before heading out to my favorite restaurant, Orzo, for appetizers and cocktails. Then off to Rumrunners for a little dancing and finally karaoke at the Gaslight all in downtown Anchorage.

Crab legs and baked potatoes

2010-06-09T19:25:00.001-08:00

It's not Alaska without King crab legs. And when you can get them through a corporate discount right from the distributor it's even better. My mom sprang for a 20 lb. box from my corporation's subsidiary Norton Sound King Crab and we had enough for many meals. This is dinner Tuesday night before the wedding.

Peacock feather and petals

2010-06-09T19:17:00.000-08:00

Budget Bride Tip Number 264: If someone offers to help you with your wedding, say YES PLEASE! My family friend Correne is a former floral designer and wedding flower extraordinaire. She did all the boutonnieres, corsages, bouquets, centerpieces and even a few extra flower arrangements for our enjoyment.

And can you believe all these amazing blooms are silk? We did a combination of silks and fresh flowers for a trifecta of reasons:

Much of the preparation and steady work can be done weeks in advance — not rushed at the last minute.
Fresh flowers must be shipped to Alaska, so just like everything else here are more pricey. We're talking about a place where the $5 footlong at Subway is $6.
They make perfect, easy-to-preserve keepsakes for family.

And of course this is the amazing lady behind the flower magic. She made such beautiful bouquets, my photographer didn't want me to set mine down for a single picture on the big day! I can't thank her enough for her creativity, artistry and kindness. Plus she shared in our ceremony as the violist. I am so lucky to have this talented woman as a friend.

Getting crafty

2010-06-08T19:02:00.002-08:00

I had so many DIY projects going the week of the wedding even my dad chipped in on the craftyness. He even helped tie billions of little bows on the programs. Above is the disappearing satin. Not only did I go to the fabric store twice to buy it, because the first purchase inexplicably disappeared. But then after much careful measuring, cutting and sewing the edges for pocket squares for the tuxes, the little buggars were nowhere to be found on the big day. All those debates over how to sew the edge and the only result was these awesome photos and some family bonding time. I didn't realize this event needed a props manager. The garter disappeared the day of the wedding too. But that's a story for another post with corresponding pictures.

We assembled welcome bags for all the guests with Alaska Moose Droppings [aka Whoppers], traveler propaganda, Alaska playing cards and other goodies. These are the Moose Dropping tags I designed in the wedding colors to save on more overpriced versions are the souvenir stores downtown.

NOTE: Hanging above the table in the top photo is a sample of the many tissue paper flowers Brielle and I made one weekend a couple months back. She spent a whole weekend in Anchorage helping me with wedding stuff. We sat for hours over red wine, tissue paper, pipe cleaners and scissors making those poofs of pretty.

I love you katie!

2010-06-08T18:37:00.000-08:00

In case you don't know her, this is my amazing, beautiful, talented best friend, Katie. She not only kept me sane two weeks ago [a challenging task at best] she also planned a super-fun bachelorette party, fabulous ladies night at the lodge and held my hand through some crazy moments last week.

She's probably still having nightmares about me saying, "Katie, don't let me forget ..."

This is us on her first night in town having drinks at Rum Runners. She couldn't get over the midnight sun and kept texting people photos of it.

Portage Glacier Cruise

2010-06-08T18:14:00.000-08:00

Wednesday before the wedding, some of our out-of-town guests joined us for a hour-long Portage Glacier Cruise. It was a beautiful, warm day. Plus, we met a very special tour guide we lovingly nicknamed Beardsley McGlacier face.

I have some serious blogging to do

2010-06-04T11:25:00.000-08:00

The past two weeks have been a blur of family and friends from afar, tying billions of little ribbons, delicious food, tourist trips and Alaska adventures. I'm still sorting through and properly archiving the images from my camera and iPhone. This weekend I hope to blast my blog with posts from the following:

Portage Glacier Cruise with our out-of-town friends
Pictures of my dad helping the girls tie ribbons and cut fabric for my many DIY wedding details, plus close ups of programs, centerpieces, decorations and favors. I love how everything turned out thanks to lots of help from lots of people and can't wait to share our creativity.
Girls night out
Barbecue at the Hamiton's complete with a tree swing and live music
A weekend of wedding festivities: Bonfires, random guitar sessions, decorating, wedding pics and more
Hiking to Russian River Falls the day after the wedding near Cooper Landing
The amazing all-day cruise into Kenai Fjords National Park with my new in-laws, husband and son

Today is my first day back a work. I miss my wonderful friends and family already and wish I could have had more time showing everyone the beautiful place I live. Sometimes it takes new eyes to renew wonder in your surroundings. Like how everyone awed at the midnight sun. But it's also nice to take a deep breath after all the excitement and settle back into regular life.

I've never been so tired as I was the days following the wedding. One night I slept 13 hours after having napped much of the day.

Until I post, there are some nice pictures of facebook posted my my former ADN coworker Mike Lewis and a few others.

Birthday bike

2010-05-18T20:24:00.000-08:00

Davin got a bike for his birthday. He was super excited to travel the neighborhood on it. I think the helmets are way cooler than when I was a kid.

Birthday time

2010-05-18T18:54:00.000-08:00

Davin's 10th birthday was Monday. We had a kids' party on Sunday afternoon with pizza, cake, video games and lots of candy. Davin helped me bake his birthday cake.

A first with our new five-peice cake set, the first official wedding gift. Anyone know who this came from? The return address was Target.com with no indication of the giver. Thank you!

I know more people with May birthdays than any other month. Especially May 15-20. Happy Birthday to all my May birthday friends!

Scapegoats

2010-05-14T15:01:00.002-08:00

Oh the fun of working with a bunch of graphic designers. Our web guru Steve Keller (not pictured) is a bit of a Photoshop wizard. He created this propaganda-inspired poster of our production crew for the fun of it. The Russian text says scapegoats. Left to right: Dave, Germaine, Frank, myself and Nadya. The face lurking the the background is our boss, Tim.

Hidden snow and the ice cream truck

2010-05-11T21:28:00.001-08:00

Davin and I took a walk to Valley of the Moon Park on Saturday afternoon for a picnic in the park. It was a beautiful day. Two ice cream trucks had a heyday sitting in the parking lot waiting for kids to drag their parents over. Ice cream trucks need no marketing other that persuasive children. All the owners have to do is drive around and turn on that annoying music. Children yell, "ICE CREAM MAN," and it's all over.

Above Davin tries to multitask scooting and enjoying a Choco-Taco. Needless to say, I ended up carrying the scooter the rest of the way home. Below is a rouge pile of snow we discovered in the shade on this 60-degree day.

Portraits of a young artist

2010-05-11T21:13:00.000-08:00

Interested in my recent painting pursuits, Davin decided to try his hand at the brush. He painted this Alaska-inspired sunset landscape for his grandma Sherrie (Joshua's mom) for Mother's Day.

Check it out: Turn Up the Rad

2010-05-11T16:30:00.001-08:00

I'm adding a link in my blogroll to Turn Up the Rad my future sister-in-law Jonalynn's newest creative concoction. She'll be blogging about interior design, music, Phoenix life and more.

My latest paintings

2010-05-08T10:10:00.001-08:00

I busted out the paintbrushes and acrylics recently and this is my latest and greatest. Davin's interest has been piqued, so we've been doing some family collaborations. Now if only I had a trick to keeping the kitties from being interested in wet paint.

Pink skys and pink mountains

2010-05-08T10:05:00.000-08:00

The sky was beautiful the other night. In fact we're having wonderful sunsets lately. If only I can stay up 11 p.m. to see it...

On top of the train

2010-05-08T09:55:00.000-08:00

This old train engine in Delaney Park is still one of Davin's favorites. We took a long walk the other night and the boys climbed on it.

On the other side of the lens

2010-05-02T20:49:00.002-08:00

Our friend Alisa went to Westchester Lagoon and Tony Knowles Trail with us yesterday for a little photo shoot for our photo guest book her mom is having made for us as a wedding gift. It was a beautiful day sandwiched between a could cloudy ones. It was fun to be on the other side of the camera for a spell. Since we're always trekking the Anchorage trails it was like another one of our mini-adventures. Thanks Alisa!

Follow the link for more from the afternoon.

Davin's Pinewood Derby

2010-05-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

I meant to post these a while ago, but Davin participated in his first Pinewood Derby in April. His car is the black one with blue racing strips just north of the Hershey bar car.

More moose

2010-04-06T20:12:00.001-08:00

I stood on my balcony and watched moose feast on the landscaping instead of eating breakfast this morning. The mama moose reaches high tree branches leaving the low foliage to her nearby youngster.

Baby moose came right up and nibbled on the shrubs next to my balcony. The mother stays close in the background. If I wasn't safely on my balcony I would never get so close to a baby moose.

Down to blue sky

2010-04-06T19:55:00.000-08:00

This pre-9-11 New York puzzle we worked on over Easter weekend was really fun until about here.

A visitor

2010-04-06T19:51:00.000-08:00

The kitties realize they aren't the only ones in the neighborhood. They were very opinionated on the matter.

49 degrees and ????

2010-04-06T19:44:00.000-08:00

It was super warm on Saturday so we took a walk to the park. The roads and sidewalks were bone dry, so we were foolishly taken aback by the trail and park conditions. Davin didn't mind.

Neither did these cyclists.

LESSONS OF THE DAY:
1. Van's and their canvas-topped goodness are not the best in snow and slush.
2. It's best not to test the ice sealing a puddle on a warm day.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-06T19:36:00.001-08:00

The Easter bunny visited our house over the weekend. Davin had lots of candy and a few new toys and spring clothes to show for it.

City moose on Chester Creek Trail

2010-04-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

Moose sighting on a walk Friday afternoon.

A little bit closer now.

First response

2010-03-30T21:44:00.000-08:00

We got our first RSVP ... yes, our Dias neighbors and I supported the postal service by mailing an invite and response across the street.

Dying Easter eggs

2010-03-30T21:33:00.000-08:00

Davin shows off his half and half egg dying skills above on Sunday. The dye pack came with eight different colors and I almost ran out of short cups.

92 pages of ink, sweat and tears

2010-03-22T16:18:00.000-08:00

My latest and greatest: Alaska Visitors' Guide in which I was editor and designer. Follow the link for an interactive, readable PDF.

Invitation party

2010-03-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

Alisa, Kyra, Brielle and my friend Meghan (not shown) helped me stuff and stamp wedding invitations. I bribed them in margaritas and wine. Thanks ladies!

Up the Alyeska tram

2010-03-21T10:44:00.000-08:00

We took the Alyeska tram to the top of the mountain for a look around Saturday afternoon. Last time we rode it, it was summer and there were about eight of us on the tram. This time we were nestled in with 57 of our new best friends and their ski equipment.

View from the top.

They say the tram fits 60 people comfortably. I think there's some mistaken word usage in that saying.

This is the best of three attempts. Guess we weren't much in the picture taking mood.

Above the chair lift.

Skiers crossing the fence to fetch some getaway mittens and ski poles down the hill.

The ride back down.

There were fewer people on the return trip.

Springtime drive

2010-03-21T10:24:00.001-08:00

Kyra came to Anchorage this weekend to help me with wedding plans. We took a drive Saturday to show her a little more Alaska. This is at Beluga Point on the Turnagain Arm.

The boys went climbing and other little kids joined them.

A warm (in relative terms) spring day!

Just in time to see the train. The Alaska Railroad's catch phrase, "The Best Way to See Alaska."

Watching the train thunder past.

First day of spring break

2010-03-13T09:50:00.000-09:00

Snow blows and cars swish through 7 inches of fresh snow Monday -- the first day of spring break here. I took this while waiting at the intersection of Fireweed and A streets on the way home from an early morning trip to the gym.

A young photographer in the making

2010-03-13T09:43:00.001-09:00

Davin went out to watch the Iditarod dog teams run past the apartment with my camera. These photos are all his. He turns 10 in May. Showing them to me after the shoot, he said "I like this one because the dog's tongue is hanging out."

I like the photographer poking into the right side of the frame here.

The beginning of the end ... of winter

2010-02-28T20:55:00.000-09:00

Fresh snow dumped on Anchorage and temperatures dropped back into the 20s just in time for Fur Rendezvous -- or Fur Rondy as the locals call it -- this weekend. It's the community event's 75th anniversary, including world championship sled dog racing (short distances, high speeds, unlike the cross-state Iditarod in March), hockey, ice skating, snow sculpting, outhouse races and the running of the reindeer downtown. Basically a celebration of all things Alaska. It's considered the beginning of the end of winter. Originally it signified celebrated the return of the fur trappers from their winter hauls. The sled dog race trail runs the side street to our apartment building. Davin and I went out to watch the teams run by today.

Turnagain Talent

2010-02-28T20:44:00.000-09:00

Davin performed in a poem ensemble, "The Whirligig Beatles" with kids in his class at the school talent show. It was super cute. The whole show was a kick. There were third-graders singing Taylor Swift, a sister-act of Irish dancers in full regalia, a couple boys in Hawaiian shirts singing Bob Seger's "Drift Away" and more than one version of acts featuring each of the following: "Naturally," "The Climb" and "Disturbia." The finally was a six-grader in hot pink skinny jeans singing Paramore's "Crush, Crush, Crush" much to the delight of her peers. Parents in the audience played Paparazzi.

Now with bigger pictures!

2010-02-24T19:41:00.000-09:00

I've redesigned my blog again. Actually, I just picked a new template to accommodate bigger photos and then made a few tweaks. Alaska's so pretty, I need space to display it properly. Hope you like it!

40 Degrees and slushy

2010-02-24T19:28:00.003-09:00

So I didn't get out for a walk on my long weekend after all. Instead I was stuck inside with something very much like the flu (it might have actually been the flu, but I didn't bother with the doctor).

But eventually I did brave the outdoors this week for a slushy walk to the bookstore with my boys.

Last time I photographed this walk it looked like this.

Davin carves "Davin was here" into the snow mount built of months of snowplow refuse.

A muddy, slushy mess

2010-02-18T20:36:00.000-09:00

It rained today. That's never good in Anchorage in February. So much for having washed my car recently. Maybe I'll make some pictures of the brown mess of everything tomorrow during my "Patriot's Day" off from work.

Once in a Wolf Moon

2010-01-30T20:26:00.001-09:00

We were picking up stuff for dinner at Carr's (Alaska-speak for Safeway ... really use your Safeway card there) when I spotted this mini-boat show on the ice-coated parking lot. A boat show in Anchorage ... in January. Makes perfect sense. If only my point-and-shoot could have done a more honorable job with the full moon. I thought the moon was unusually large and bright. Turns out I was right. January 29 the moon made its nearest approach to the earth of the year, coming within 221,577 miles of the earth. It's called a wolf moon in Native American tradition and is considered to be 30 percent larger and 15 percent brighter on this day according to National Geographic online.

Thanks Mom & Dad

2010-01-30T20:16:00.000-09:00

My parents sent me this lovely little coat rack/shelf for Christmas -- sans the finish. Joshua and I stained it while watching a movie on a recent Sunday afternoon, and this is the finished product. It even securely holds all our coats despite the fact that we have no idea where the studs are in our apartment wall. I promised my mom I'd post a picture of our handy work. What do you think?

There's something happening with technology

2010-01-26T17:16:00.003-09:00

I waited in line Saturday afternoon holding my precious laptop bag while the Geek Squad helped the people in front of me. I shifted foot to foot. Davin spun circles on a nearby stool.

When we got the the front, the woman behind the counter fired up my computer and asked me questions about the problem. Windows look-alike pop ups were telling me "Your computer is infected. Do you want to download anti-virus software now?" They weren't my Windows-style windows ... they were suspicious, with sharp corners instead of rounded ones; blue instead of silver header bars told me the thing giving me warning signs was probably the problem itself.

"You can't even add or delete programs in the system controls," the woman observed. I told her I knew that. Was it fixable?

"I had something like this the other day," she said grimly, and then she quoted me an estimate. For that price, I'll probably just buy a new computer I told her. I signed a permission slip to have my files backed up on an external hard drive.

The same day my friend Lisa blogged about her Mac giving the light gray screen of death. And on the same day my favorite ADN columnist published a column about her coffee pot AND her Mac crashing on the same day.

When I think about it, I think it seems silly to be devastated over a simple possession. But it's so much more than that. It's my pictures — memories, my design portfolio, my wedding guest list/plans, my college projects. All of those are now backed up and ready to load onto a new computer. I'm lucky they are salvagable.

But it's also late nights finishing college papers. And later nights watching TV online when I had no cable, worked the late shift and lived alone in a new city. It's my blogging-ground, my connection to people far from Alaska, my way to waste 20 minutes, my yellow pages, my road map, my answer to what movie I've seen that actress in before.

I'm not sure when we all became so dependent upon technology, but my colleague's column and my friend's blog tells me I'm not the only one.

Friends, back up you files tonight. You'll never know when you'll have cause to be happy you did.

While you do so, I'm off to pick up my external hard drive and shop for a new computer.

Mat-Su, glazed in ice

2010-01-09T22:49:00.001-09:00

Davin captures a frost-covered image from the car window, from the Glenn Highway between Wasilla and Anchorage.

A wintery walk to the bookstore

2010-01-09T22:40:00.003-09:00

No, it's not sunset. The sun just hovers on the horizon all day during the winter ... if it decided to make an appearance from behind the clouds. This is A Street heading south from my apartment. Joshua and I took a walk to the bookstore for some fresh air.

Chester Creek was covered with ice so thick that it didn't melt until late spring last winter. Temperatures have been much more moderate this year.

Joshua loves it when I make him stop for photos.

Christmas morning

2010-01-09T22:30:00.001-09:00

Davin tries to choose his next gift from the pile under the tree to open Christmas morning. We had fun filming our Christmas morning with our new video camera. Thank you to our friends and family for all the cards, letters, pictures and presents that made us feel closer to home during the holidays.

Frosted over

2009-12-17T22:10:00.003-09:00

Days of heavy fog and temperatures in the teens created a heavy coat of frost over ... everything.

Ice crystals extending from a sign in my parking lot.

I wasn't the only one out taking pictures.

Waiting patiently for summertime. It appears my neighbors don't have snow tires for these bikes. (Many Alaskans do sport extra-tough tires for all-weather cycling.)

An icy sign.

Swedish Fish and gingerbread

2009-12-17T21:54:00.002-09:00

Davin and I made a gingerbread house yesterday. He was the clever one who though Swedish Fish would make good gingerbread house decor. I think it turned out pretty well.

Wedding Web site

2009-12-16T19:02:00.000-09:00

I put up a Web site with details on our wedding including travel and lodging information, who's who in the wedding party and more. Check it out.

Cellular silence

2009-12-16T15:43:00.001-09:00

An ADN story on today's blizzard reports: "AT&T's cell phone network had problems across Anchorage this morning, and many users still had no cellular coverage by midafternoon, though it was not known if that issue was weather related. An AT&T spokeswoman working at home Wednesday could not be reached because her cell phone did not have service."

Sledding at Kincaid

2009-12-06T14:12:00.000-09:00

Davin takes the plunge on his new sled at Kincaid Park on Saturday. Now that we finally have enough snow to play in, we took advantage of a rare Saturday when we're all home together and bundled up for an afternoon of sledding.

We were not the only ones with the idea. The parking lot was full and the hill was littered with people and sleds in various phases of sliding, crashing and hiking up the hill. The mountain across the Cook Inlet in the distance is the Sleeping Lady.

Getting bundled up.

Negotiating just one more "last" run.

Trudging up the hill. I ran out of energy long before the boys did and hung out at the top taking pictures toward the end of the afternoon.

They don't fly Charlie Brown Christmas trees to the Last Frontier

2009-12-06T13:50:00.003-09:00

This year I wasn't going to let Alaska's limited supply of Christmas trees best me. We set out Friday night to Minnesota Bob's Christmas tree lot to find the perfect evergreen. While it's off the corner of Minnesota Drive, the lot is actually named for the origin of the trees. You can imagine prices with that kind of travel. But we were still able to find a winner. The kittens were very interested in their new toy. I will probably spend weeks trying to work the sap out of their fur.

Getting the ornaments ready to go while Joshua and I light the tree.

Putting the new LED, environmentally- (and power bill-) friendly, lights up.

Davin puts the star on top. This reminds me of fighting with my brother over whose turn it is to put the topper on our family tree as kids.

The final product after an evening of "It's a Charlie Brown Christmas" soundtrack inspired decorating.

Here's to 26

2009-12-06T13:34:00.000-09:00

Year 26 begins. I celebrated with friends at our favorite wine bar, Crush, in downtown Anchorage. I had a champagne flight for the occasion. It was lovely.

November also marked the beginning of my second year living in Alaska.

Turkey day

2009-12-06T13:17:00.003-09:00

Our friends Tony and Alisa joined us for Thanksgiving. The snow came down hard for hours the night before. We spent the day watching a marathon of Christmas movie and of course eating a fantastic meal.

Prepping mashed potatoes.

The feast.

Alisa made candied apples for cool twist on dessert.

Tony on the phone with his grandma, wishing his family a happy Thanksgiving.

Davin trodding down the fresh 8 inches of snow outside the balcony.

A walk in Kincaid Park

2009-11-22T18:26:00.001-09:00

We took a short walk in Kincaid Park this afternoon. Kids were sledding on the barely snow-covered ground. The breeze made 22 degrees feel much cooler, but Davin still rolled in the snow as much as he could manage. Then we took a drive along the Turnagain Arm. Huge chunks of snow and ice floating on the inlet and ice frozen blue on the hillside made for a scenic drive. The photos are all from the park.

Davin earns his Bobcat

2009-11-22T18:12:00.001-09:00

Davin joined Cub Scouts at his elementary school this year and was awarded his first badge Thursday. The ceremony had their dads paint a paw print on the boys' foreheads and other colors symbolizing the values of Cub Scouts. I made him stand still for a picture before he washed it off. Watching the dads paint faces was way too cute. Too bad an elementary school gymnasium has pretty much the worst lighting for photos imaginable. Afterward there was a host of Thankgiving themed games complete with turkey bowling -- yes that is rolling a frozen turkey like a bowling ball.

Winter has arrived

2009-11-12T21:23:00.000-09:00

Snow arrived on Sunday night. We drove to Wasilla and the ground was bare when we left. Two short hours later, Anchorage was blanketed in snow. With highs in the 20s, winter is here to stay. This is the view from my balcony shortly after 8 a.m. Monday ... yes it's dark out much of the day now. We are losing 6-plus minutes of sunlight a day.

My first Alaskan Halloween

2009-11-04T21:33:00.001-09:00

Carving pumpkins.

Sarah Palin and Rorschach from "Watchmen" at Bernie's Bungalow in downtown.

Alisa and Tony... or Wayne.

Unseasonalbly warm and other random notes

2009-10-29T14:14:00.000-08:00

We had our first snowfall in Anchorage yesterday morning. It didn't even stick. I could live with this.

A bull moose crossing the Seward highway near downtown Anchorage stopped traffic yesterday evening on the way to Davin's parent-teacher conference. This kind of thing doesn't phase seasoned Alaskans, but I still think city moose sightings are noteworthy.

Davin finished his first quarter with straight-As and his teacher is very impressed with him. So am I.

Fairbanks, Chena and North Pole, Alaska

2009-10-15T17:12:00.002-08:00

I traveled to Fairbanks with a co-worker this week to report for the Alaska Visitors' Guide. It was unseasonably warm, with highs in the 50s and no signs of snow. Fairbanks is about 6.5 hours from Anchorage by car. Don't plan on stopping between Trapper Creek and Healy -- the businesses at Denali Park Entrance are pretty much boarded up for the winter.

I had a guided tour of Fairbanks' new pride, an auto museum. This is the Ford Model-T Snow Flyer.

This is "Wander Lake" a play on Wonder Lake in Denali National Park. The hotel owner who turned this land into a wildlife preserve saved his visitors' view from tuning into a landscape of Wal-Mart and various other big box stores by buying up more than 70 acres.

Musk ox chow down at University of Alaska Fairbanks Large Animal Research Center.

Hand painted signs adorn a shop in Pioneer Park home to Fun in the Midnight Sun summer festivities. Fairbanks has 24 hours of functional daylight around the Summer solstice. It drops to only 3.5 hours of daylight on its darkest day.

Entrance to Pioneer Park.

Pioneer Park reminded me of an Alaskan Disneyland minus the giant mouse.

Chena Hot Springs Resort is just more an an hour's drive northeast of Fairbanks. The waters are believed by some to have healing powers.

North Pole, Alaska is just 11 miles outside Fairbanks. This is the Santa Claus house on St. Nicholas Drive. Here, it's Christmas all year long.

Make it Monday media chat

2009-10-06T11:55:00.000-08:00

I went to an Anchorage Chamber of Commerce "Make it Monday" forum yesterday to hear local media pros talk about the changing landscape of media, challenges they are facing and what they predict for the future. Aside of the fact I scored tickets to the Spanish Harlem Orchestra as a door prize (ironically donated by Anchorage Press) I also picked up a few clever quotes. Matthew Felling, CBS anchor here in Anchorage, is longtime media critic, former CBS "Public Eye" blogger from D.C. and self-proclaimed "media utilitarian."

A few gems from him on Twitter:
"You need to give what you have the moment you have it."
"Brand yourself as the person in the know."
"Twitter is turning everything into the world's largest cocktail party."
"Give people a well-balenced diet: A little fun, a little protein of hard news and a little bit of ruffage of hard-to-process information."

I think that last one can apply to all kind of media.

German beer. Alaskan food and art.

2009-10-03T14:28:00.001-08:00

FRIDAY: We kicked off out weekend with a visit to Oktoberfest at the Egan Convention Center in downtown Anchorage. Then a trip to our favorite Anchorage wine bar, Crush.

TODAY: We picked up some late-season Alaska Grown food. This is the logo for Alaskan produce and agricultural products. There are little Alaska Grown farmers markets all over town through the summer. There's one just a block from my apartment on Saturdays and another in the Carr's (Safeway) parking lot near my work on Wednesdays. The markets season will be over in about two weeks.

It's not uncommon to see people wearing sweatshirts with the Alaska grown logo on it too. Very punny.

Later I'm going to walk over to the Make it Alaska festival at the Sullivan Arena. It's a fair featuring only products, arts, etc. made in Alaska.

>$50 in postage

2009-10-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

This is what 110 save the dates looks like right before it goes in the mail. If you know anyone that needs wedding programs, invitations or save the dates ... Or business cards, brochures or other matierals.